Sports Minister inaugurates 13-member Ghana Anti-Doping Agency
The Minister of Sports and Recreation, Mr Kofi Adams, has sworn into office a 13-member Ghana Anti-Doping Agency (GADA) Board, with former Ghana Athletics president, Prof. Francis Dodoo, named as the Chairperson.
Other members of the board include Mr Killian Kwame Abrampah, Mr Michael Yennah Ngminlasongna, Dr George Tsey Sabblah, Madam Hazel Juddy Mensah, Madam Anna Pearl Akiwumi Siriboe, Mr Gaetan Charles Adangabey, and Wilhelmina Asamoah.
The rest are ACP Asiedu Eric Asamoah, Mr Apollonius Osei–Akoto Asare, Stephen Nii Baani Appiah, Dr Christian Hagin, and Madam Wosiela Eve Bobie.
Swearing in the board, Mr Adams said that with the passage of the Anti-Doping Act, 2024, the establishment of the National Anti-Doping Agency, and now the swearing-in of this first board, Ghana has taken a firm and irreversible step forward.
According to the minister, the board’s loyalty must be to the law, athletes, and the integrity of Ghana sport—not for convenience, popularity, or personal relationships.
“Your task is not to intimidate or sensationalise; it is to educate, to prevent, to protect, and when necessary, to enforce. This board must therefore think beyond elite competitions; you must think about schools, community clubs, youth academies, coaches, parents, and administrators,” he said.
According to him, Ghana must not only meet global standards but must show that African countries can lead with credibility, structure, and independence, saying that, “Your work will determine whether our athletes compete without suspicion, whether our flag is raised without doubt, and whether our children inherit a system that values fairness.”
In his acceptance speech, the Chairperson of the board, Prof. Dodoo, said doping has been a fundamental concern which has a reputational impact for countries.
“When your anti-doping systems are weak and you end up with a lot of your athletes testing positive, the country loses reputation. For these reasons, it is incumbent on us, the board members, to make sure we can come out with a system that can support Ghana’s bid to become a great nation in sports.”
For him, this is a core task, given that the board promised not only to focus on elite sports but also to be at the grassroots level so that children learn the proper way to do things when they are getting into sports.
By Raymond Ackumey
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